...I consider it a harmful tradition. What are your thoughts on it?
....
I was frozen for a long ti, trying to digest the words delivered by the king.
It wasnt just .
Adam Hyung, Sien, Prin, and the rest of the people also silently observed the king.
No one could imdiately respond.
I hadnt expected the topic of polygamy to co up.
It felt like the king had touched a frawork I thought was unshakeable, especially with his negative approach.
Yet, I sensed a gradual shift in the atmosphere.
The Lizardn of the Pantora family and the Dwarves of the Dom family, initially surprised by his remark, soon sided with the king and looked at us.
It seed like a matter that didnt affect them.
Prin blinked and asked,
...Is it because of our family that you speak of this?
The king nodded slightly and replied,
It was a catalyst. But Ive always thought of it as a bad custom.
He paused as if organizing his thoughts before explaining,
You might not know, being out of the loop, but as a king, I hear many stories. Its recorded in our kingdoms history too. Theres no race that has fought over succession as much as the Humans. I believe this issue stems from polygamy.
He took a sip of water from the glass in front of him and continued,
Sure, succession issues can arise even among full siblings. But such cases are rare. Normally, in the absence of a will, the eldest inherits. But among half-siblings, succession issues arise even if its predetermined. Perhaps its because they dont share the sa mother, their relations always seem strained.
Prin listened quietly to the kings words.
The king asked,
You Cannot Afford To Offend My Woma...
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You Cannot Afford To Offend My Woman chapter 2
Prin, tell . Were the wives of Mr. Jackson on good terms? Didnt their relationship lead to this succession fight? Could this be the result of years of pent-up emotions?
Prin answered with a shy nod,
...They were not on good terms.
Of course. That explains the foolish choice made by the one I executed. Behind every foolish choice, theres usually a mix of emotions involved, not just foolish beings.
Then the king turned to and asked,
Berg, what about you? Are your wives on good terms?
The spotlight was suddenly on .
Sien glanced at from the side.
....
I couldnt answer.
Sotis it seed like my wives got along, but then again, they would share each others backbiting with .
The king looked straight at and said,
See? Even those who havent been together for more than a year act like this. How much less so for others? Especially if the wife isnt from the humans, its even harder to accept.
...
The issue of fairness among wives is also a problem. They say theyll love them equally but... how can you love them the sa? Even among children, theres always a ranking.
The king took a deep breath and continued,
Its the greed of the humans. These poor won shouldnt suffer because of it.
I briefly thought of Ner and Arwin.
Was this really just my greed?
Though the situation had developed this way, I had thought I could manage it well.
...
Suddenly, Ner and Arwins words that they couldnt love ca to mind.
Their reasons were different, but they had both said it to .
Could it be that my greed had made them both unhappy?
...I wanted to believe not. I wanted to believe it was just a transitional phase.
Even if we put aside the succession issue, the problem remains.
The kings words were relentless.
With polygamy, Humans have many children. Of course, there are exceptions, but theyre rare.
An aide next to the king handed him so docunts.
The king leafed through them and continued,
Naturally, they have to feed and raise all those children. But those humans who cant, they end up abandoning their children on the streets. Sure, it varies from person to person, but everyone vaguely knows there are many abandoned humans, right? Its a natural consequence when children are born to those without the ans to support them.
The kings gaze turned to .
Berg, you were an orphan, werent you?
...
His eyes then shifted to Adam Hyung.
Adam, you were an orphan too, werent you?
...
Adam Hyung silently closed his mouth.
The king continued nonetheless.
Think about it. There are many negative words associated with the human race. Barbaric, cruel, heartless, selfish... and so on. But is this really characteristic of the human race? It could just be a trait of those who are uneducated, the abandoned ones. If they disappeared, such evaluations might vanish too. The humans are interesting beings, just look at those in front of .
The heads of the Pantora and Dom families, seated there, nodded slightly in agreent.
As if to affirm the kings sentint.
Silence fell for a while.
Still, no one dared to speak up.
Finally, the king broke the silence.
Prin. Lets hear your thoughts. Tell why polygamy should be maintained. Ill listen to whatever you have to say.
...
Prin froze for a mont at the kings words.
But everyone already knew what answer he would give.
His fate was still undecided.
He had no choice but to prostrate before the king.
...I agree with His Majesty the King. Having many stepmothers, my only mories are of suffering. It might be good for those involved but... it was hard for us underneath.
Human noble, Prin, answered thus.
The king then asked,
Adam?
Adam Hyung looked at upon hearing that.
He seed to ponder for a mont.
I could sense what he wanted to say.
Agreeing with the king would bring us no greater loss.
We had lost mbers trying to bring Ner and Arwin into the Red Flas.
Adam Huyng faced forward.
...I think it should be maintained. Its our culture.
The king maintained a neutral expression. He didnt seem angry or displeased with the opposing view.
...I see.
The kings gaze then turned to .
Berg?
I shook my head.
Im against it.
Why?
I already have two wives.
At that, the king burst into laughter.
The king, after a hearty laugh, spoke.
A candid reason indeed. Well, a commoner would hardly wish to let go of two noble wives.
I could feel Sien rustling beside , gripping her clothes tightly.
But Berg, as I explained earlier, polygamy might also be a harmful custom for the Human race.
I shook my head.
What others do is none of my concern.
The king smiled at my response and nodded.
...You, like Adam, are to my liking.
Then, all eyes turned to the last person.
Soone who could represent the human race far more than Prin, , or even Adam Hyung.
Everyone looked at Sien, bearing the emblem of Hea on her wrist.
Even the king treated her with more formality.
Saintess-nim, what are your thoughts?
........
Sien glanced at .
Our eyes t again.
In that brief mont, a myriad of emotions were exchanged.
...I...
Sien blinked at , then whispered, bowing her head.
...I thought it was a harmful tradition, but...
The king inquired further.
But...?
Now... Im not sure.
I understood why she responded this way.
She had just declared she wouldnt give up on .
It was surely related to that reason.
...
The king nodded, listening to our conversation.
After a mont of contemplative silence, he spoke.
...Ive listened well. Its sothing to think about.
Prin asked the king,
...Will polygamy be abolished?
The king, avoiding a direct answer, said,
Thats not for now to decide. I just wanted to hear your stories. Even if a decision is made, it should be after hearing from various races. Its not the ti to decide such a significant change amidst war.
I listened with mixed feelings.
While polygamys fate was not yet decided, if it were... it could an parting from my wives.
There was much I wanted to say.
But Adam Hyungs caution and my wives feelings prevented from speaking.
Then the king spoke one last ti.
However, everyone, even if a decision is made... I hope you wont be too surprised.
I quietly looked at the king.
He concluded,
Its ultimately a choice made for the kingdom.
****
After the eting ended, King Rex Draigo remained in the conference room, letting out a sigh.
He felt the relief of completing another challenging task.
Your Majesty.
Just as he was about to enjoy a mont of rest, a figure who hadnt left the conference room called out to him.
It was Gale.
Im listening.
Gale, choosing his words carefully, finally asked,
Is it really because of that? Are you seeking to abolish the Human races polygamy because you think its a Harmful Tradition?
Rex smiled.
Then, leaning back in his chair, he said,
Gale, you always have been quick to notice.
...
...And you talk too much. You could have just let it go without asking.
Gale didnt respond.
That was just his nature.
He never could hold back what was on his mind.
But Rex found that quality in Gale endearing.
He was honest and transparent.
If only he could get past that slight discomfort, Gale was as comfortable a companion as anyone could be.
Its not just because of that, of course.
Rex spoke.
Then, turning to face Gale, he continued,
You knew, Gale. Why I dislike polygamy.
...
Even if you pretend not to know, Im aware that you do. You know the kind of person I am.
Gale shook his head.
...I only knew you were hiding your intentions, nothing more.
Is that so?
Rex felt a mix of surprise and relief.
If Gale had these suspicions, perhaps the others hadnt noticed yet.
Explain it to .
Rex shook his head.
Then he said to him,
...Better to remain unaware.
It wasnt a grand story.
In fact, it was sowhat cowardly.
...Polygamy posed a threat to the royal family.
If nurous nobles started forming alliances through marriage centered around one human, it could beco a force threatening enough to challenge the royal authority.
Rex had been waiting for an opportunity to intervene in human culture.
It was true that the Jackson family had caused him headaches, but Rex was not one to miss an opportunity once it arose.
Rex sighed.
The weight of his royal duties could sotis be overwhelming.
****
Ner stroked her white tail while waiting for Berg to co out of the eting hall.
Arwin was with her too.
Recently, Ner had started to like her white tail.
She felt it while stroking it.
It no longer seed as repulsive as before.
It had its own charm.
At the sa ti, Ner felt protected by Berg.
Since the rcenary eting, she had heard whispers.
Perhaps because this was Jackson territory.
Rumors about Berg, being a human, seed to have spread more widely.
Among those rumors was this:
...Berg was very fond of Ner, so no one should tease her about her white tail.
Everyone who had ridiculed Ner Blackwood had been trampled by Berg, so the rumor went.
Ner recalled blushing uncontrollably when she first heard this story.
It was embarrassing because it was true.
On reflection, if only Berg saw her in a good light, that was all that mattered... but it also felt like the pain inside her was healing.
Her self-esteem was gradually being restored.
Your tail is beautiful!
A woman, apparently a maid from the Jackson family, called out as she passed by.
Though it was overt flattery, Ner smiled at the comnt.
This, too, was a change in her.
Complints about her tail no longer felt mocking.
So, Ner had started grooming her tail more carefully.
Maybe if she brushed it, Berg would find it even more beautiful.
...
Being touched was still embarrassing, but she thought it wouldnt be too bad if Berg tried gently.
She still rembered when Berg had softly stroked her tail.
The shivers from that mont had not yet faded.
Just then, the door to the eting room opened.
Ner, startled, lowered her tail and looked towards the door.
Berg was walking out.
A natural smile appeared on Ners lips.
But it seed he had more to discuss with the hero party, as he stood beside Adam, engaging in a brief conversation.
....Strange.
Arwin muttered beside her.
...What?
Ner asked, but Arwins gaze was fixed on Berg.
Ner followed her gaze to Berg.
Upon closer inspection, while Adam was leading the conversation, Berg was exchanging glances with the saintess.
...?
Ner also felt an odd discomfort.
Berg, who usually didnt focus his attention on anyone... why was he looking at that saintess for so long?
...
Reflecting on her own fixation on a re exchange of glances, Ner was sowhat surprised.
Why was she thinking so much about this?
Where had her emphasis on freedom gone?
Instead, Ner stretched her neck, trying to relax.
Though they were still in conversation, Ner decided to call out to her partner.
Berg!
Bergs gaze shifted towards her.
His previously stern expression softened upon seeing her.
Ner loved that.
The way he smiled at her.
Her well-brushed tail began to wag happily.
It ssed up her careful grooming, but she couldnt help it.
Berg quickly said goodbye to the hero party and started walking in her direction.
As Ner smiled, her eyes t those of the saintess standing behind Berg.
...
...
The saintess gaze was icy cold.
At the sa ti, her expression seed filled with disdain.
...The unease Ner had felt earlier grew stronger.
Soon, the saintess turned and walked away.
While Ner was distracted, Berg had approached her.
Looking a bit tired from the eting, he said,
...Lets get ready to go back.
There was a hint of sadness in his voice.
Lets take a breakat Stockpin.
...?
Ner didnt understand the nature of her growing suspicions.
But, like Arwin, she was beginning to sense sothing odd.
The End of The Chapter
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